


Eyes Without Speaking

by Quoshara



Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: Boats and Ships, Closeted, Dating, Helicopters, M/M, New Relationship, Pranks, Yuletide 2009
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-18
Updated: 2009-12-18
Packaged: 2017-10-04 14:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quoshara/pseuds/Quoshara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick and Cody's secret was too special to share…but then there were supermodels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eyes Without Speaking

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seraphina_snape](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphina_snape/gifts).



 

* * *

 

 

A loss of secrecy could be deadly.  Back in 'Nam the wrong word, spoken at the wrong time, could get you killed, could get your buddies killed.  They had all had secrets in 'Nam.  Military secrets and personal ones.  Some sobbed out in the dark of night, sounds muffled by your own arm while gunfire scattered the leaves over your head, and  others never told, never mentioned. 

Nick knew that some of that was what was driving Cody's current bid for silence.  Cody hardly ever blew up about the things that worried him, never got angry, never snapped.  Cody, like those secret fears unspoken and unmentioned, would never break far enough even to show his true happiness or his very real fears. He just hid it all behind that wall of charm that he used like a shield, attracting people to the brightness of his smile, but rarely letting them into the warmth of his heart.

Well, very few people anyway.

He had always been one of those trusted few and, he had thought, Murray had been too.  Or he had been until now.  He just didn't get why Cody was so reluctant to let Murray in on the change their relationship had taken.

~*~

 

_One week earlier…_

The sea was calm, the way only the Pacific can be,  still, with gentle waves rocking the ships as they sat cozy in their slips.  The sea birds too were content, riding over the waves, their heads up but relaxed or waddling in their own peculiar way down the strand to see what the tourists might have left them for supper.  Even the evening smells were gentle, delicately boiled lobster and sautéed fish.  The  sounds of the sea only complemented by the distant laughter from Straightaways  and a late weekday charter, chugging in with it's load of satisfied fishermen.

Yes, calm and quiet seemed to be the by-word for the entire harbor…except for one place.

_"_Oh_,_ God!"

"Shhhh… you have to be quiet…"

"I'm trying but….Oh…..shit…. Kiss me, Nick.  Just kiss m--."

"Oh, yeah."

Nick finally collapsed, panting, on the bunk next to Cody.  "Man, you are so lucky that Murray went out with Sharon tonight.  No way he could have missed that."

"Sorry.  I'm trying but..."  Cody laughed.

"Yeah, I know.  It's hard to be quiet."  Nick pulled Cody closer.  "Are you sure we shouldn't just tell him?  I mean, if he gets upset – _which I don't think he's going to_ – but if he does, don't you think he'll get over it a lot faster than if he finds out by accident?"

"I don't know."  Cody kissed Nick, smoothing his sweaty hair back from his face.  "It's not really Murray's reaction I'm worried about, it's just….  I guess I don't really _want_ to have to explain this to anybody, you know?  It shouldn't have to be explained.  I love you and that's all I should have to tell anyone."

"Yeah, I guess I get that,"  Nick said uncertainly,  "but this is the Boz.  If he finds out we kept this a secret from him he's going to get all hurt.  He'll give us those puppy eyes and say, 'I thought I was your friend and you didn't trust me?  You've  ripped my heart right out.'  I hate when he does that."

Cody grimaced, "Yeah, I know what you mean.  I _do_ want to tell him, Nick…just not yet, okay? I want to keep this just for the two of us for just a little longer."

"Okay, fine."  Nick snuggled closer. "But you have to promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"As soon as we tell Boz, we have a bigger bunk put in.  I'm tired of having my ass hanging off."  Nick grumbled and they both laughed.

~*~

 

_Present time…_

So he had agreed, held their secret tight to his chest when he wanted to shout it to the world…or at least a few friends, he wasn't an idiot...he just hated needless secrecy.  He understood keeping things under your hat and client confidentiality, but in the normal course of things he thought secrets were a huge waste of energy. As a matter of fact, Nick had promised himself during 'Nam that when he got home, he was done with secrets.  When he was angry he would be angry.  When he was happy he would be happy.  All of it right out there in the open. 

And that, he knew, was why this whole secrecy thing was going to fail. 

That, or maybe the fact that the redhead – Vanessa  – who had dragged Cody out onto the dance floor was acting just a bit too friendly for comfort.  In spite of Cody trying to keep a decent three inches between them during the slow song they were moving to, she kept moving closer, pressing  against him.  The damn dance floor was not that fucking crowded.

Or it might be the fact that Monica, the girl sitting next to him, kept sliding her hand up his thigh.  He flinched every time and she just giggled and went on talking, sharing some High-Q joke with Murray and Sharon across the table.

~*~

 

_The previous evening…_

Neither he nor Cody had wanted to go out with the girls for obvious reasons, but Murray had started giving them the puppy-dog eyes

"Come on, guys," Murray pleaded, "if I can find dates for Vanessa and Monica it will score me big points with Sharon.  And you know what that means…"

Murray elbowed Nick and winked broadly at Cody.

"You get arm spasms and a facial tic?"  Nick replied blandly.

"You know what I mean, Nick."  Murray retorted.  "Besides, I've met these girls.  They're very nice."

Cody shook his head slowly, "I don't know, Murray… Nick and I have been doing a lot of work on the Riptide.  We're going to spend most of the day tomorrow polishing brightwork and we'll probably just want to relax."

_Yeah, _  Nick thought, with a smug expression.  _Then I can do a different kind of polishing and get Cody very relaxed._

"Aw, come on, guys…"  Murray's face fell, "you know if it was one of you I'd be more than willing to do this.  Isn't that what friends are for?"

Nick knew right then that they'd both agree.  Murray had just hit every one of their guilt buttons…hard…like with a sledge hammer.

~*~

 

_Earlier that evening…_

That had been their first mistake, assuming that 'nice girls' had meant that they were probably sweet and rather plain the way most of the girls in Murray's club were.  Then they showed up and he and Cody had both had to pick their chins up off the floor – the two girls were absolute knock outs, supermodel level,  putting even the Contessa's crew to shame.

And if that hadn't been enough, the way Vanessa's eyes lit up when she saw Cody, made Nick want to jump in front of him and yell, _Back off, Bitch_ or some other terrifyingly and stereotypically gay command.   

"Oh, hey.  Don't Cody and Vanessa make a charming couple?"  Murray commented to Sharon.  "And Nick and Monica too.  I knew this was a great idea.  We're all going to have a really Boss evening."

_We are so screwed._ Nick thought with a sigh.

"So, Nick, Murray was telling me that you have a helicopter."  Monica said, leaning in a bit closer to him.  "I think pilot's are so hot."

_Completely and royally screwed._

"Not half as hot as sailors,"  Vanessa's contested, taking Cody's hand.  "But your ship doesn't have a sail…so can you still call yourself a sailor?"

Cody didn't answer, he was too busy eyeing daggers in Monica's direction_._

_Screwed, screwed, screwed…_

"Hey, Nick.  Why don't you, Cody and the girls head on over to Straightaways?  I left a program running on the Roboz and it should be just about finished.  I just need to run the print and close the system down."

"Ah, Murray, do you think that's a good idea?  I mean you get down there and get sidetracked and –"

"Please Cody?"  Vanessa spoke up.  "I didn't have any lunch and I'm hungry."

"See?"  Murray pointed out.  "She's hungry.  And I _promise_ no more than fifteen minutes."

~*~

Murray's thoughts were a jumble of amusement.  It was amazing that neither Cody nor Nick had figured out his little gag.  Vanessa and Monica, sweet though they were, just weren't actresses.  They were completely over the top and blatant in what they were doing.

 But then again Murray had noticed that although Nick and Cody were wonderful investigators, they weren't very observant on a personal level.  That, he figured, was why it had taken them so long to stop dancing around one another and finally decide to get together. 

 Murray had known for a long time that his two friends had been heading in that direction.  Women came and women went but Nick and Cody had been constants for each other since the first time they met.  He was just overjoyed that they had made room for him in their little family and that, more than anything, was why he was pulling this gag.

 He'd known that Nick and Cody had finally made that final step – the little looks and touches which had always been there had taken on a different tone.  Their eyes lingered on one another and the little touches had begun to resemble caresses.  He'd been waiting now for over a week though, and neither of them had said anything to him about it. 

 Murray would be lying if he said he didn't feel a just a little bit hurt that they hadn't trusted him enough to tell him right away.  Of course, there was always the chance that Nick and Cody just assumed that he knew… but no, that's where that '_not very observant on a personal level'_ thing came into play.  They thought he didn't know and they had not told him. Didn't they trust him?

_ No!_  Murray thought.  He knew his friends trusted him with their lives, just the way he trusted them.  There had to be some other reason, but it still hurt… just a bit.

 So he had called his sister, Melba, for some advice and between the two of them they had come up with this practical joke.  If Monica and Vanessa didn't convince Nick and Cody to come clean, nothing would.

 Murray almost cackled with glee at the thought of Nick's expression when Monica had proclaimed the sexiness of pilots.  The rest of this evening was bound to be a real hoot!

~*~

 

_The present…_

Cody and Vanessa returned to the table and, with what  Nick had to admit was sly maneuvering on her part, Vanessa slipped into the chair that Cody had been sitting in earlier, putting herself firmly between the two of them.  Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw Monica make a gesture of congratulations to her friend.

This evening was getting stranger and stranger.

"And then Professor Anderson… you remember me telling you about Professor Anderson, Nick?  Cody?  Oh, well, he was my faculty advisor when I presented my thesis…  But he said that friends are more important than anything you can have.  That just like robots, friendships could be useful, but they were really only as strong as the sum of their parts."  Murray looked at the two of them and gave a sigh, gaining him a sympathetic smile from Sharon.  "And if communication broke down that none of it, robots or friendships, were worth a damn."

Murray barked out a sharp laugh, "He shocked me a little with his language, I was only sixteen.  But he was trying to make a point and it was a good one.  All relationships thrive on communication.  Don't you think that's right Sharon?  Cody?  Nick?"

Before Nick could answer he felt Monica's hand slide back up his thigh.

"Um…I…" Nick practically leapt to his feet.  "I think I need to go to the bathroom.  Excuse me."

"Me too."  Cody was moving just as fast.

"Hurry back, boys."  Vanessa's voice and Monica's giggle followed them all the way into the blessed silence of the Men's room.

"What the hell is going on out there?" Nick turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on his face. 

"I have no idea."  Cody frowned and handed Nick a paper towel.  "I mean, those girls are beautiful and they can't seem to keep their hands to themselves."

"Well, Vanessa can't seem to keep more than her hands to herself.  If she'd been any closer to you, I was going to go look for a crowbar."

"Vanessa?  What about Monica?  She wasn't too slow to go for the goods herself, from what I could see."  Cody moved closer to Nick, practically shouting right into his face.

Nick blinked.

Cody blinked.

Then they both started laughing.

"This is ridiculous." Cody shook his head.

"You know, a month ago we wouldn't have been having this conversation.  A month ago we would have been backing each other up and working together to get both of them into the sack."  Nick finished wiping his face with the paper towel and looked at Cody.  "Times change, huh?"

"Yeah, they do."  Cody glanced around the bathroom to make sure it was empty then leaned in to kiss Nick.

"We're going to have to go back out there and make up some excuse to get out of here."  Nick chuckled softly.  "Some excuse that won't mess up Murray's chances with Sharon."

"Yes,"  Cody agreed, "but not too subtle.  Vanessa doesn't seem to take a hint very well.  Too subtle and I could find myself married with three kids before she understood that I'm not attracted to her."

"I'm not sure, "  Nick frowned, "but managing to have the three kids might just disprove that theory."

"Yeah,"  Cody agreed, "that might be bordering on the wrong side of  being overly polite and sensitive."

"Well, you're a 'New Age' kind of guy…"

They both laughed all the way back to the table.

~*~

In the end they barely managed to escape without Vanessa and Monica.  The two girls were like barnacles, latching on like they never planned to let go.  The story they gave about Nick getting too much sun that afternoon and feeling sick, barely made a dent in their determination.  It took Murray promising that he'd go with them and then call the girls the next day to give them a report before they were able to make their way down the pier toward home.

"I'm sorry I messed up your date, Boz,"  Nick apologized.  "I really would have been fine with just Cody to take care of me."

"But Nick, Cody was doing the same work as you were, what if he started feeling sick too?"  Murray argued.  "I know he doesn't usually get sunsick but there's always a first time.  Besides, I have other things to get done and Sharon and I had already planned for an early night."

_Yeah…I wanted an early night too,_ Nick thought, looking over at Cody.  _But I don't think we mean the same thing.___

"We're still sorry,"  Cody said.  "We _did_ try to get away without a fuss but…"

"Oh, I know, Cody,"  Murray said.  "But I know how it is at the beginning of a relationship.  How you think only of being with that person and no one else."

Nick cringed mentally, "Yeah, Murray, that's why we're so sorry about dragging you away."

"Oh,"  Murray said evenly, "I was talking about you and Cody, but I guess that's true for me and Sharon too."

"Well, of course it's tru---" Cody began and then froze, grabbing Nick's arm.

Murray kept walking, seemingly oblivious to his friends, "Especially as long as you two have known each other, it's only normal that, now that you're _together _together, you'd be in that Honeymoon Phase."

Nick and Cody ran to catch up with Murray as he clambered onto the Riptide.

"What do you mean, Honeymoon Phase,"  Nick scowled.

"You know?" Cody asked.

"Well, of course, I know."  Murray answered, rolling his eyes.

"Then what was that whole thing….Monica and Vanessa  and… 'Don't they make a cute couple?'  All that?"

Murray hawed out a laugh, "Gotcha!!"

Nick and Cody, moving like the team they had always been, grabbed Murray from both sides and dumped him over the bow of the boat.

"AAAAAAAaaaaaahhhh…!!!"  Murray came up, spewing water, "Aw, come on, guys… no fair.  The water's freezing…. Aw, c'mon, it wasn't that bad...Guys?"

~*~

The sun slowly set over the Marina at King's Harbor.  Seagulls settled down in their nests among the pylons of the pier as the soft California breeze stirred through the towering palms.  Gentle waves rocked the ships in their moorings and in the distance the bark of sea lions could be heard.

"Guys…?"

 

* * *

 


End file.
